About Agave cupreata Trel. & A.Berger
Agave cupreata is a plant species belonging to the family Asparagaceae. It grows exclusively on mountain slopes of the Rio Balsas basin, in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guerrero, at elevations between 1,200 and 1,800 meters. This species is long-lived. Mature individuals have leaves 40 to 80 cm long and a flowering stalk 4 to 7 m tall. The age when A. cupreata reaches maturity is variable, generally falling between 5 and 15 years old. It is a monocarpic perennial that does not reproduce clonally. It puts all of its accumulated resources into producing a single inflorescence, and dies after its seeds mature. Local mountain communities in Guerrero harvest A. cupreata, which locals call maguey papalote, to produce mezcal.
